Designing a new class

Excerpt from new class

    Last semester I taught high school technology for the first time.  This is a basic semester course taught in the computer lab – internet searching, safety, and reputation; Word, Excel, PowerPoint.  Since I’ve been teaching technology in middle school for years focusing on the same skills, the content wasn’t a stretch.  But high school students are very different from middle school students.  So I spent the semester finding out what works best with this different age group.  

    Now, I want to use Moodle with these students.  Moodle gives me more control over their learning environment, and it’s a natural choice for a technology class.  I also want my students to have the experience of using online discussion, something they are very likely to experience in college classes.  And since high school students are a little more aloof, I want to use reflection and discussion to draw out their learning.  

    Now that I’ve had experience with Moodle, and with creating online content, this is so much easier.  I am not constantly cruising through my Moodle books trying to figure out how to accomplish something; now I’m just doing it.  Nice to be farther along the learning curve!